Vanna
| ethnic groups = Sarquil, Desert Elves | government = Sultanate (until 1017 AE) | ruler = | factions = | ageoftga = }} Vanna, often called the Jewel of the Desert, was the capital of the Sultanate of Karaganda. It was located in the middle of the Tronin Desert in Southern Libaterra in the Third Age. According to some tales, the first of the Sarquil, Tronin, was laid to rest there and that is why the city was so important to all Sarquil tribes. After the Second Battle of Vanna, the city fell to the Northern Horde which forced the surviving Sarquil to flee to Alent. Vanna was destroyed in the Catastrophe, leaving only the ruins of a once mighty city behind to mark the border between civilized territories of the Andarian Empire and the savage parts of the desert in the Fourth Age. History Third Age Early Years Tronin and his people, who would be known as the Sarquil, settled into Southern Libaterra in an area which became known as the Tronin Desert at the dawn of the Third Age. Tronin was a harsh but ultimately pragmatic ruler, building what became Vanna in the heart of the desert and sending his tribe to subjugate nearby tribes which would become Vanna's protectorates. When Tronin grew old and died, he left a daughter behind and decreed that henceforth only a woman should ever sit on the throne of Vanna; if a man did so, a great catastrophe would befall the desert and the Sarquil according to Tronin's Prophecy. Tronin's daughter became the first Sultana of Vanna after her father's death. She wrote down the Law of Tronin, a codex of rules which all Sarquil should follow to keep the desert prosperous. The law have dictated the Sarquil way of life ever since. Vanna grew over time, first subjugating desert-dwelling Simoe tribes and later several desert elf clans, thus establishing a strict hierarchy. The Sultanas were served by the Grand Vizier and lesser Viziers and likewise also received counsel from the Captain of the Black Guard, the elite warriors of Vanna. Despite the Sarquil's love for battle, the tribes around Vanna remained mostly autonomous, ruled by various Sheikhs and Sheikhas from their respective towns and camps. Rose of the Desert Vanna's influence continued to grow, and by the time of the Rose of the Desert it was widely recognized as the most powerful Sarquil settlement and was known as the Jewel of the Desert. Distreyd Era When the Libaterran Civil War, Yamatian Invasion and the Great War raged outside the desert, the Sarquil chose to mind their own business. They repelled any attempted invasions from Yamatians who quickly chose to leave the tribes in peace. Godslayer Era Territory Disputes By the time the Great War and the Cataclysm had ended, the desert saw a new race appear there: the lizard folk calling themselves the Sirithai. It was only thanks to the diplomacy of the reigning Sultana Razia al-Saif that a shaky peace was formed between the Sarquil and the Sirithai. Razia was a revolutionary Sultana in many other ways too, being more open to foreign influences than other Sarquil, which led to Vanna seeing several travellers arrive such as Belial de Ardyn and Iblis al-Djinn and opening up trade with cities such as Alent. During this time Vanna grew, and managed to expand its area of influence mostly by peaceful means. However, the peaceful years of Vanna came to an end when Razia's twin sister Adela al-Saif killed her in a duel and usurped power with help from Iblis who then became her Grand Vizier. As soon as she had taken over the title of Sultana, Adela began a series of reforms and, troubled by news of Yamato having fallen to demons since the Cataclysm, began forcibly uniting all the tribes of the desert under Vanna's rule in order to create a united fighting force which could repel any future demon invasion. Rise of the Sultanate The expansion was successful, and eventually Adela formed what became known as the Sultanate of Karaganda with Vanna as its capital. The nomadic Sarquil had now become a nation of their own right within Libaterra's borders. This happened just in time as the Sarquil faced demon scouting forces on the southern border of the desert, and the Black Guards and Sarquil warriors fought against the demons and prevailed time and time again, slowly but surely learning the demons' weaknesses and how to use them against them. However, several Sarquil were unhappy with Adela's reforms, most notably the fact how she, as the high cleric of Artemicia, had made the state religion be the Clergy of Artemicia while worship of the spirits was more or less banned. Many traditional shamans saw this as an act of outright blasphemy, but any insurrection was quelled in a bloody manner, so the remaining dissidents remained quiet, biding their time until an opportunity would present itself to return the Old Ways to the centre of Sarquil belief systems. At the same time the clergy began harrassing the Sirithai who were seen as monsters, and the Sirithai responded as violently, leading to hostilities between the two races. Desert elves were being treated poorly, and the Imams of the elves were slowly but surely getting annoyed by it, hatching a rebellion to finally overthrow their Sarquil masters but remained docile on the outside for the time being. Fall of Vanna In 1017 AE, Adela's nephew, Emir Khalid al-Saif, returned from exile and challenged Adela's rule with help from the Grand Alliance. Khalid's coup was eventually successful thanks to help from the Sirithai who had sided with the Alliance, and he was crowned the first male Sultan since the time of Tronin despite the elders' warnings about Tronin's prophecy. However, the Battle of Vanna also weakened the city due to the forces being divided, and the Northern Horde used the chaos to its advantage when it invaded the sultanate soon after. Once the Siege of Vanna had ended, the Northern Horde stood victorious. The surviving Sarquil, led by Sultan Khalid, fled to Alent which granted the refugees an asylum. The Northern Horde immediately renovated the fallen Sarquil capital to suit its needs and turned the once mighty city into its base of operations for its Libaterran campaign and its vast halls into demon breeding grounds. Vanna was destroyed in the disastrous aftermath of the Catastrophe which ended the Second Great War, leaving behind deserted ruins of a once mighty city. Fourth Age Since the Catastrophe, the Ruins of Vanna act as a marker between the mostly safe and civilized northern half of the Tronin Desert controlled by the Andarian Empire and the inhospitable, southern half of the desert which the Empire hasn't managed to claim. Cityscape Vanna was surrounded by two sturdy and solid walls, separating the city into Inner and Outer Vanna, and thus it was a besieger's nightmare. The city had beautiful temples dedicated to the goddess Artemicia until the First Battle of Vanna. It also had the Tomb of Tronin which housed an ancient library which partly burned down in the aftermath of the battle. The city had a sizable Black Guard which acted as both a royal guard as well as the city's military force. The most dominating building in the entire city is Qalat al-Jabal, the Citadel of the Mountain, which was also known as the Heathen's Palace. It was located on a large hill in the middle of the city and acted as the seat of power for the court of Vanna and the Sultan and Sultana. On top of the highest tower of the citadel rested a large, black obelisk which was known as Karaganda, the Black Stone. The sultanate itself had been named after this magical stone which was sacred to all Sarquil tribes. However, the stone was destroyed by Daventhalas de Mont Hault in 1017 AE during the uprising against Sultana Adela al-Saif. The Clergy of Artemicia had a notable presence in the city for a few years, and the High Cleric of Artemicia resided there until Khalid al-Saif and the Grand Alliance took over the city. Vanna held many fine merchant quarters and parks as well as a complex canal system that provided water to the city from underground springs. One could say that Vanna was the jewel of the desert with its high culture, proud warriors and beautiful architecture. Contained: Palace, Barracks, Public Houses, Pitch Tents, Markets, Farming communities, Inn, Underground wells, Armorsmith, Blacksmith, Weaponsmith, Carpenter, Enchanter's, Artificer, Coliseums, Monuments, Tombs, Barbarian's Dens. Landmarks *Qalat al-Jabal, Citadel of the Mountain *Tomb of Tronin See also *Battle of Vanna *Black Guard *Clergy of Artemicia *House of Saif *Sarquil *Sultanate of Karaganda *Tronin Category:Andaria Category:Cities in Libaterra Category:Clergy of Artemicia Category:Fourth Age Category:Libaterra Category:Northern Horde Category:Sultanate of Karaganda Category:Third Age